Chicago Venue Guide: Soldier Field Parking and Tailgating Info

Going to a Bearsgame? Not sure whether you need to buy a parking pass ahead of time or if a lot is tailgate-friendly? You’re in luck. Here’s a comprehensive guide to All Things Soldier Field Parking. Plan ahead for your next Bears game and save yourself the time and hassle of being unprepared. You don’t want that food to spoil in the trunk of your car because you bought a pass in a non-tailgate lot now, do you? (Although with Chicago winters, you would probably be okay anyways!)

Soldier Field Parking Map

All Soldier Field parking lots open four hours before kickoff and Soldier Field gates open two hours before kickoff.

Parking Options on Game Day

On-site parking:

CAMPERS & RV’S can park at the Adler Planetarium lot ($130) just northeast of Soldier Field. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Prepaid parking is also available for buses, limos, and RVs/campers at http://soldierfield.clickandpark.com/. (Important note if traveling with RV/Bus/Campers: overnight parking is not available. Entry into parking lot is not available until four hours prior to game on game day.)

Off-site parking:

Millennium Park Garage ($30 cash or credit card) with free shuttle service to and from Soldier Field. For more information on parking at the Millennium Garages specifically for Bears games, click here.

For lots requiring a coupon, you can purchase individual game coupons at Gold Coast Tickets. If a lot says “Cash Available”, they mean cash, no credit cards.

If you plan to tailgate…

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

You can only tailgate in the space immediately behind your car and if you are planning a tailgate with more than one car, you must enter the lot at exactly the same time, one vehicle behind the other. Tents, umbrellas or anything taking up more than the space between your car is prohibited. Grills are not allowed in enclosed garages such as the lower level of the Waldron Deck or the North Garage. Tailgating is allowed on all surface lots and on the upper level (only) of the Waldron Deck. If you plan on tailgating at the Waldron Deck parking lot, it is strongly advised that you arrive very early to get a spot on the top deck. If you do not get a spot on the top, you will not be allowed to tailgate in the lower levels of the parking garage. You can enter the lots four hours before kickoff but there is no tailgating allowed during the game. After the game you can tailgate a little bit, but the lots will close two hours after the end of the game.

42 Responses

Hi Rich,
Lots open four hours prior to game time, so it’s best to get there as early as you can. I would suggest arriving within the first hour after the gate opens. For a noon game, prior to 9AM would be preferred, and a 3PM game, before 12:00PM. With that said, there is no guarantee that even if you do get there within that hour after the gates open that there will be a spot as it is first come, first served. Hope that helps!

Hi Nancy,
Yes, we have parking available in the North Garage and Waldron Deck. There is no tailgating in the North Garage, but you may tailgate on the top deck of the Waldron Deck. Just make sure you get there early! There is no tailgating on the first two levels of the Waldron Garage, only on the top (and it’s first come, first served). Parking available here: http://bit.ly/TFrE2c

My apologies for the late reply. Yes, they opened 4 hours prior to game time. In the future if you have a last-minute question, please call our office and we’ll be happy to help over the phone. 312-644-6446

To answer your first question, yes you can tailgate in the whole south lot. As far as the top of the Waldron Deck compared to the south lot, both are nice, but the Waldron Deck is closer to the stadium. In regards to your last question, we don’t believe vehicles with trailers are allowed in any of the Bears parking lots besides the RV lot (Adler lot). Hope those answers help!

You can tailgate at Bears games in any parking lot that isn’t covered. This includes the entire south lot, the top of the Waldron deck, the East Museum lot, Burnham Harbor lot, the Southwest Facilities lot, and and in the Adler lot, which is also the RV/Camper lot. You would need to purchase a parking pass for your camper or RV (or if you have a trailer) HERE.

If you do not have a ticket, you must leave the lots during game time. We are fairly certain that the rule applies to patrons with tickets also, but they may be a little more lenient about kicking you out right away if you flash them your seats and say you’re heading in soon. Soldier Field’s parking hotline is 312.235.7724 if you’d like to confirm with them.

I”m flying in for my first bears game at soldier field this weekend vs the packers. i’m walking over from the congress hotel. i’ll have beer but not food. what lot is fan friendly? i want to experience a great time before the game. is there lots where they share their food for exchange of beer? just looking for a great time with fellow bear fans. BEAR DOWN!

I have a VIP south lot pass for the BEARS vs Vikings game next week. What’s the difference between VIP south and South lot Can I use my pass for 2 cars and what side is gate 10? Thanks in advance this will be my first Bears game very excited then off to Korea.

The VIP section of the South Lot is designated as the spots closest to the stadium. The VIP section is the front 15% (approx) of all spots in the South Lot. Each car must have it’s own parking pass and the only way to park next to another car is to make sure you enter the lot in succession. Gate 10 is on the west side of the stadium, but you can enter the stadium at almost any gate you wish.

Hi Trixie, my apologies for the late reply. Pop-up tents are not allowed in Bears tailgating parking lots for safety reasons. I have been to a tailgate where a large patio umbrella was used (Bears/Texans 2012); not sure if it was technically “legal” but no one said anything to us.

Please let us know if you were able to find out any other information that may be helpful to other readers! Thanks for the post.

Yes – in fact, I do it every game I go to. You can park elsewhere (or take public trans/cab) and walk right into the South Lot. They do not check tickets or parking passes when you enter the lot. Happy Tailgating!

You cannot tailgate after kickoff in any official Bears parking lots, which includes the lot at 31st Street. Rules for tailgating apply to all parking lots run and operated by the Bears parking partner, Click and Park. Lots open 4 hours before gametime and tailgating is allowed in all uncovered lots. Lots close during gametime and open again at the conclusion of the game. Sorry for the bad news.

Since parking lots for any Soldier Field event (including the Grateful Dead shows) open 4 hours before showtime (so at 3:00 pm) and they always allow tailgating in open air lots, you should be fine. However, they haven’t said anything about tailgating for the Dead in particular, so we have to go with what they normally do. You can bring coolers, alcohol, grills, chairs, bag toss games, tables etc but no tent-type structures. And you can’t bring anything into the stadium with you that’s bigger than a wallet sized bag (very small). Normally, you can’t stay at your car during an event, so it’s likely they’ll shuffle everyone out at 7:00 pm and let people go back to their cars after the show for 2 hours. Things could be different for the Dead shows, but we can only let you know standard practice at this time.

I want to tailgate at chicago bears tomorrow night game against the eagles What time does tailgating start and does 31st street still open for that? And how much? Do I need coupon or can I just pay cash there ?